


Old Books

by AnnieVH



Series: Behind Closed Doors [26]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Books, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Rumbelle - Freeform, storybrooke library
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2015-02-10
Packaged: 2018-03-11 11:31:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3325868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnieVH/pseuds/AnnieVH
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Belle opens the library doors to the public. Champagne might not have been the best idea.<br/>Set after *The Unexpected Volunteer*</p><p>yourcraziestfan prompted: the library's 'grand' reopening! Which of course will be attended by the entire town, including Gold... and Milah... and champagne >.></p>
            </blockquote>





	Old Books

**Author's Note:**

> Pairings for this verse: eventual Rumbelle and Swanfire.  
> Warnings for this verse: abusive relationship, implied non-con situations, child-abuse, violence, infidelity, very anti-Milah.
> 
> A HUGE THANKS to Maddie (maddiebonanafana.tumblr.com) who did the beta for this one-shot!

Belle took a deep breath and counted back from sixty, hands grasping the door handles.

_Fifty nine, fifty eight..._

She didn't dare look out of the window, but there was noise outside. Maybe the reopening wouldn't be a total fiasco.

_Forty, thirty nine, thirty eight..._

Was there anything else to clean? Was everything in order? Maybe she should run around quickly, just to be sure. No, there was no time.

_Twenty five, twenty four..._

The caterers, how long did Milah say they'd stay? Was it one hour or two? The Mayor was probably going to ask her, she ought to know the answer.

_Twelve, eleven..._

She screwed her eyes shut. What if there was nobody on the other side of that door?

Belle whispered the last five seconds to herself and her heart nearly jumped out of her mouth when the clock above her head sounded its first bell.

No turning back now.

She pulled the door open and braced herself.

First, she saw the Mayor, right in front of the library, waiting eagerly. Disappointment passed through her face only for a second before she smiled from ear to ear, in that not particularly warm way of hers.

“There she is,” Mayor Mills announced. “Our very punctual librarian.”

A flash blinded her eyes. When her vision cleared, Belle didn't know if she should skip around happily or faint because there was a small crowd in front of the library and it was far bigger than anything she had hoped for. She decided to smile, and it wasn't a hard thing to do.

Ruby, covered in red and easy to spot, shouted, “Woo, Belle!” and started clapping so enthusiastically that everybody followed suit.

The Mayor took her hand and said, “Smile for the _Storybrooke_ _Daily_ _Mirror_ , Miss French. I'd say you earned it.”

Belle was not ready for the next flash, but shook the Mayor's hand and tried to look natural for as many pictures as the photographer deemed needed. When he nodded, Regina turned around, ready to enter the building, but Ruby stopped her by shouting, “Speeeech! Speeeech!”

The crowd joined in. The unexpected demand made the Mayor sigh discreetly and order her to “Be brief.”

Standing by her side, Belle felt smaller than ever, despite standing on high heels. Whatever words she had prepared the night before with Ruby disappeared from her mind and she bought herself time just wishing everybody a good afternoon and running her eyes through the crowd. Jaq and Gus waved at her frantically, full of pride. Graham had his thumbs hooked on his belt and she had his full attention. Granny had her eyes on the crowd, as if ready to fight whoever dared interrupt her. Mr. Gold was leaning on his cane, sharing his attention between her and the Mayor – it was impressive how his eyes could go from proud to smug in the fraction of a second. At his right, Milah Gold was holding his free hand, but her eyes were far from whatever was happening under the clock tower and focused on the crowd. Not like Granny though. She was staring eagerly at a man who didn't seem to notice and who had _his_ eyes on Belle, waiting for her to start talking. He wasn't hard to recognize. Baelfire might have changed his name, but his handsome face had not changed one bit.

“Thank you all for coming,” Belle said, forcing her hands to stop twitching and settling them in front of her body. “It means a lot to me to see so many people interested in bringing this library back to life. It was my favorite place while I was growing up. I visited it every week with my mother when I was a child. I was a volunteer when I was in high school. It's always been a special place to me and I hope to make it as special to you.”

Ruby screamed, “Woo!” one more time, generating another round of applause. Before the Mayor could put an end to her speech, Belle raised her hand.

“Oh, just one more thing. I need to thank all the volunteers who put up with me barking orders for two weeks.”

The crowd laughed.

“I also need to thank Mr. Gold for suggesting I apply for this position.”

Mr. Gold bowed his head slightly, accepting her acknowledgment.

“And Mayor Mills, of course, for her _unshakeable_ faith in me and _undeniable_ support.”

Regina's head snapped in her direction, but Belle kept her eyes on Mr. Gold. His whole body was taken over by a powerful convulsion that Belle could have swore would have erupted into roaring laughter if he hadn't turned it into a coughing fit.

“I also need to thank Mrs. Gold for her major contributions to the library. She's providing us with sandwiches and champagne, and she worked her fingers off to put the catalog in order. So lets show her our appreciation and keep the catalog as it is, I _beg_ of you.”

There was another round of laughter, a little louder this time. Milah Gold didn't join in. She was still looking at her son, waiting for his reaction. When Belle had mentioned his father's name, Neal had given him a glance, but his mother's only made him stand stiffer than before.

“Finally,” Belle continued, “I need to thank Jaq and Gus for sticking by my side, and Ruby for keeping me sane all these weeks.”

“I love you Belle!” her friend hollered.

“And let me cut this short, because I've already spoken too much. Welcome to the Storybrooke Library!”

With a final round of applause, Belle stepped out of the way and let people in.

 

*

 

Sidney Glass pulled her aside and showered her with questions as soon as the speech was over.

“How are you holding up since your father passed away? Would you say your interest in this library is your way of dealing with grief? Do you believe you'll be able to keep this library going, since the town has showed quite a disinterest in it in the past?”

Belle wondered if Mayor Mills had helped him come up with his questions, either to test her or simply pester her. She kept her expression neutral and her voice polite, giving him concise answers that didn't delve too much into her personal life, no matter how much the reporter pried. His final question, “Will Gaston Sage be welcomed in your library?” almost made her growl with anger, but she contained herself in time.

“This library is not mine,” Belle answered. “It is this town's. Everybody will be welcomed as long as they love books.”

“ _Including_ Mr. Sage?”

“Yes.”

Sidney's eyes sparkled with devilry. “ _Especially_ Mr. Sage?”

“Everybody will be welcomed,” Belle repeated, thinking that would be her best way out. “Now, if you excuse me, I have to tend to the library.”

Tending to the library was an overstatement, since there wasn't much to be done anymore – which was a welcomed change of pace after the frantic two weeks the Mayor had put her through. People were eating sandwiches, drinking champagne, and sometimes acknowledging her presence to congratulate her hard work. There wasn't much need to ask for directions, unless you were too lazy to read the tags on the shelves, and nobody would be checking out books for the first half-hour or so. Her only job was to walk around, thank people for coming and remind them to please obey the “no food beyond this point” sign. If books were ruined on her first day, there was no telling what the Mayor might do to her.

Belle checked every isle and every section, making sure everything was okay. But when she found an empty corridor, full of old encyclopedias nobody would be looking for, she looked around to make sure none could see her and allowed herself a short sequence of jumps and pirouettes. If she could, she'd have shouted her happiness to the world. She felt exceedingly good about herself, like never before in her life. The library was a success. Perhaps the town would forget about it the next day, but that hardly mattered. Today, her hard work had paid off, and her friends were there to share in her success. What more could she ask for?

“I take it you're enjoying yourself?”

Belle stopped and turned.

Mr. Gold waved from the other side of the corridor, a book in hand.

Belle didn't even feel embarrassed. “I feel amazing.”

“You should, it's quite a success,” he said, coming closer.

“I don't know what makes me happier, that this is actually happening, or that I'll actually get more than two hours of sleep tonight.”

“Enjoy it. You deserve it.”

She looked at his hands. “I see you got a book already.”

“More to show my support than anything else. I've read this one already.”

She read the tittle upside down. _Treasure Island_. The edition his wife had donated.

“Yes, I imagine you have.”

“I was going for some Jules Verne, but-” he shuddered. “There were _quite_ a few children in the adventure section. I just grabbed what I could and got out of there.”

She couldn't help but laugh.

“I suppose I'm not used to sharing a library with other people anymore.”

“Are you regretting this, Mr. Gold?”

She was only teasing, but he seemed to take her words seriously. “No, never! But I think I'll avoid the library in the weekends.”

“Mr. Gold, you can visit at two in the morning and check out five books at a time, as far as I'm concerned,” she said in a reassuring voice.

He smiled with relief. “And can I pass the deadline?”

“Don't push it.”

Mr. Gold looked ready to burst into laughter again. As if her stern librarian impersonation was as amusing as Regina Mills' face when Belle sneaked a little mockery into her speech.

“I'll leave you to your dance in a moment,” he said. “I came here to give you a gift. Well, can't be a gift. It was yours to begin with.”

He hooked his cane on his arm and took a package from under the book. It had been meticulously wrapped in blue paper and Belle knew what it was long before she unwrapped it.

 _A Handsome Hero_.

He had done a wonderful job. There was nothing to be done for the holes left by bookworms, but the cover was reattached and the pages were a lot less yellow. The marks left by the water had faded and were almost imperceptible.

“I'm sorry it took me longer than estimated. It gave me quite a lot of work. And in lieu of my delay, as well as your good work, _and_ the look on Regina's face, I'll wave my fee.”

“I thought you might appreciate that.”

“I did. _Immensely_.”

Belle laughed. “The book is perfect. Thank you, Mr. Gold.”

“You're welcome, my dear.”

“And I mean it. Thank you.” She stepped closer to put a hand on top of his. He looked at it quickly, then back into her eyes. “If you weren't helping me, I have no idea what I would have done. Maybe I'd have gone back to Australia. Or given in to Gaston's insistence.” She giggled the silly idea away.

The corners of his mouth quirked up, wanting to share in the joke, but looking slightly uncomfortable. Belle realized, a little too late, that he was probably not used to people being that close, especially a young woman he barely knew .  Regardless of knowing him from childhood, and of having spent quite a  large portion of the past month with him ( and his wife ), they were still strangers to each other. She stepped back.

He looked around, thinking of something to fill the awkward silence with.

He  indicated the book he had selected for himself and said, “ I- I used to read this a lot.  W hen I was a  lad .”

Just as she had suspected. The book had been important to him. That thought warmed her heart.

“Did you want to be a pirate when you were a child?”

“No, I never cared for pirates. But Jim is quite a compelling character.”

“Ah, the boy who went out to see the world and find buried treasure!” Belle mused. “I see the appeal.”

“My mother had this edition. It's my favorite. I usually don't like illustrations, but these are-” He stopped when he opened the cover and saw his mother's name written down. His smile died.

B elle's heart skipped a beat. He didn't know. Milah had  donated his favorite book and she hadn't bothered to tell him.

Belle explained, “Your wife brought it in with other donations. I'm sorry. I thought you knew.”

“No,” he said, eyes still locked on the first page. “I did not know.”

“You can have it back.”

“It's alright.” He closed the novel and looked at her again. “It's an old book. It'll be put to better use here.”

Belle started arguing, but Graham appeared on the other side of the corridor, interrupting her.

“Mr. Gold?” he called. Then his eyes fell on Belle and he hesitated.

“Yes, Sheriff?” Mr. Gold answered, allowing him to continue.

Graham eyed Belle again, but said, “I think it's time to take your wife home.”

Mr. Gold didn't need to ask what he meant by that. Belle had a pretty good guess herself.

“It's only been forty minutes,” he argued. “She can't-”

“She's... getting there pretty quickly,” Graham insisted. “I thought you'd want to know.”

Mr. Gold sighed. To Belle, he said, “I'm sorry, Ms. French. I have to go.” And didn't wait for her to reply before rushing away.

Graham forced a neutral smile and followed him.

When Belle returned to the atrium, Mrs. Gold had been cornered by her husband against a wall and he was whispering something to her. Graham kept his distance, but his eyes were sharp, as if waiting for the worst. Milah, however, had her gaze far away, focused on nothing. When her husband touched her elbow, she seemed to stagger slightly.

“I've counted seven glasses,” Ruby whispered in her ear. “She was downing them like water.”

Belle looked around. Ruby was not the only one gossiping. People were turning their necks and trying very hard not to stare and not to look too eager for a scandal. Regina Mills was sipping her champagne looking the happiest Belle had seen her in weeks.

“Don't be mean, Ruby,” Belle said, getting away from her and behind the front desk. She cleared her throat and said, “Attention everybody!”

Reluctantly, heads turned to face her.

“If you gave Ruby your name this week, chances are I already have a library card with your name on it. So, please, if you hear me call your name, just come to the front desk. If you want me to check out an item for you, just bring it with you. I'll do it alphabetically, but perhaps you'd like to be the first, Mayor Mills?”

Over his shoulder, Mr. Gold threw her a grateful look, then returned his attention to his wife.

After Regina Mills got her library card, and a picture of herself checking out _Alice in Wonderland_ that would probably make the front page, Belle started reading names out loud and distributing library cards, trying to attract as much attention to herself as she could. If somebody brought her a book to check out, she'd loudly offer a comment on it, or ask if anybody had read it already. If the patron happened to be a child, it was much easier to cause a distraction, since cute little children were much nicer to look at than intoxicated women.

When little Alexandra checked out a fairy tale collection, she asked, “And who do you think is my favorite princess, Alexie?”

The little girl shrieked, “Belle! Because she likes books and she has your name and she is pretty!”

And Mr. Gold sneaked his wife out of the library while everybody laughed. Graham followed them closely.

Two hours later, when the caterers where preparing to leave and most people had already gone home, Graham came back.

“That was some quick thinking,” he told her.

“Did they get home alright?” she asked him.

“Yes. Mr. Gold wanted me to thank you for your help. And to give you this.”

Graham handed her _Treasure Island_.

“He said he forgot to check out.”

“He didn't have to return it,” Belle said, looking guiltily at the book.

“Don't tell me you're going to be a soft librarian.”

Belle shrugged.

Graham frowned. “What happened to the positive attitude?”

“It's been a long day.”

“It's been three hours.”

“Feels like a long day.”

Belle looked around, but saw nothing. Her mind kept looping that insisting thought inside her head. _He didn't know about the book._

“Anyway, I talked to Neal and he wants to meet you,” Graham said.

Belle looked at him, puzzled. Now that Graham mentioned his name, she realized she hadn't seen him since her speech.

“He didn't come in,” Graham explained, anticipating the question.

“He didn't want to see his mother.”

The quick deduction seemed to take him by surprise. For a moment, Graham didn't say a word, debating whether he should agree with Belle, or correct her with a lie.

Belle shrugged again. “Milah mentioned they had a complicated relationship. And the drinking. It made sense to me.”

“Yes, well, he still wants to meet you,” Graham said, deciding that changing the subject was the best defense. “How about you come to my place for dinner? You and Ruby. Like the old times.”

Belle smirked. “Depends. Did you learn to cook?”

He grimaced. “Come for beer. Just to be safe.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> A list of all one-shots in verse chronological order can be found here: http://annievh.tumblr.com/post/102166515522/behind-closed-doors-warnings-domestic-abuse
> 
> I'm still taking prompts for this verse if anybody wants to send them.
> 
> I'm also doing a ASK MY CHARACTERS (http://annievh.tumblr.com/post/106018882167/ask-my-characters-a-question-and-they-shall).


End file.
